Report to:                  East Sussex Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Date:                           21 September 2023

By:                              Programme Director, Building for our Future Hospital Redevelopment  

Title:                           Building for our Future Hospital Redevelopment Programme                                       update

Purpose of Report:  To provide an update on East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust’s hospital redevelopment projects

Recommendations:

The East Sussex Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is recommended to note the update on the status of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust’s capital developments and plans for hospital redevelopment as part of the Government’s New Hospitals Programme.

1 Background

1.1 The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s announcement in May 2023 confirmed £20 billion investment in hospital infrastructure and continued commitment to the current schemes named as part of the New Hospital Programme (NHP). The NHP is a government funded scheme, incorporating 48 Hospital Trusts, of which East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is one. The NHP forms part of the wider Health Infrastructure Plan, a strategic rolling long-term investment in hospital infrastructure to ensure our healthcare system is fit for the future. 

1.2 The Trust has a dedicated team, who alongside colleagues will support the programme throughout its lifetime. We have continued to progress our hospital redevelopment programme within the parameters set out by the NHP.

1.3 The Trust’s hospital redevelopment programme is more than a building programme, patients and sustainability are at the heart of the Trust’s plans. This includes refining clinical pathways and development of three hospital sites at Conquest Hospital, Eastbourne District General Hospital and Bexhill Community Hospital and will be a long-term programme over the next decade.

1.4 Additionally, the Trust is making progress with other capital development projects that are aligned to the Trust’s long-term vision for improving hospital facilities. This update report sets out the progress being made.

2 Update on the Building for our Future Hospital Redevelopment Programme

2.1 Business case development: The Trust continue to work with the NHP on its prioritisation and preparedness process to review and refine the scheduling of the programme including optimising NHP requirements for maximising new builds and single bedrooms across the sites, timescales for delivery of the business cases and overall scheme.

2.2 Enabling Works: The NHP have recently approved £4.7m of fees funding to support the development of business cases in 2023/24 for three enabling schemes at Conquest hospital. If successfully approved, the business cases will secure over £65m of capital funding to construct two new build departments and a multi-storey car park.

2.3 Developing clinical models of care: Work is progressing involving clinical and non-clinical stakeholders to refine the future clinical models of care to ensure that the plans reflect best practice in clinical care nationally and internationally.

2.4 NHP Demand and capacity modelling: The Trust has collaborated directly with the NHP team to test and develop a model and approach for demand and capacity modelling with the aim of improving quality, consistency and transparency in demand and capacity modelling across the NHS.

2.5 NHP Clinical workstream: A consultant in Emergency and Urgent Care has been collaborating with the NHP and supporting the team in the development of clinical standards for new hospitals.

3 Update on other Trust capital developments

3.1 Bexhill Community Diagnostics Hub: The brand new state of the art diagnostic centre located on Beeching Road in Bexhill-on-Sea was opened to patients in January 2023.

3.2 Emergency Department Extension at Conquest: This has improved staff facilities. 

3.3 Discharge Hub at EDGH: A dedicated discharge hub was opened to patients in April 2023 to enhance patient flow and free up acute beds.

3.4 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme 3 (PSDS3): extensive work is being undertaken at EDGH. A new fascia with additional insulation, will significantly reduce energy costs. These works also include new windows, roof insultation, electric heat pumps and a new solar farm. The power generated by the solar array will provide approximately 50% of the current energy use for the Eastbourne DGH site. 

3.5 Bexhill Hospital Ophthalmology: The works to expand the ophthalmology department service as part of the reconfiguration will commence in October 2023.

3.6 Cardiology at EDGH: The works to enable the reconfiguration at EDGH have commenced with the project due to be complete in 2024/2025.

3.7 Elective Hub at EDGH: Building work is underway for a new dedicated day surgery building on the Eastbourne DGH site which is planned to open in early 2025.  This will comprise 4 new operating theatres and associated support facilities.

4 Conclusion and reasons for recommendations

4.1 The East Sussex Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is recommended to note the update on the status of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust’s capital developments and plans for hospital redevelopment as part of the Government’s New Hospitals Programme.

tracey Rose

Programme Director, Building for our Future Hospital Redevelopment, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Contact Officer: Tracey Rose

                            Programme Director Building for our Future Hospital Redevelopment

Email:                  tracey.rose@nhs.net